People often ask, "What exactly is a boy?" While it is generally accepted that leatherboy is a self defining term, here are some of the things that the Phoenix boys had to say when posed with this question.
What is a boy?
To me, a boy is a mindset, a
certain energy a person radiates, regardless of their physical
appearance, such as age and gender. A boy has an eternal inner
youth; he likes to play with toy cars or read comic books and pursue
other activities that may be, according to society’s standards, "not
appropriate" for his physical age group. However, even when
pursuing “appropriate” activities, a boy is still a boy inside.
Tiger
So what does it mean to be a boy?
When i think of being a boy the following ideas come to mind:
-building models
-playing video games on a weekend morning or afternoon or when you should be doing your homework
-jumping up and down on the bed at 7 AM on a Saturday to wake up your friend/partner
-getting excited to go to the toy store or any store that has things to play with
-snuggling with your favorite stuffed animal or toy
-wrapping yourself up in your favorite blanket your mom made for you to watch a movie
-not following orders because you forgot what they were 5 minutes ago because you were paying attention to
something else and you don't remember what that was when you are asked why you don't remember what it was
you were supposed to remember because something else distracted you
-making up silly statements like the one above just to confuse people because it's fun to see their reaction when they
read it, and giggling when they say, "What!?"
-wearing Scooby Doo or Spider-Man or Superman undies that are way too small for you, but enjoying every minute of
it
-wearing your undies on your head around the house
-would rather ride piggy-back than walk
-would rather ride on the front of the shopping cart than walk through the store
-hates facial hair on yourself (if you have any)
-asking, "How come?" when you don't get what you want and jumping up and down
-asking too many questions in the most inappropriate time
-asking those questions because you're curious about almost anything
-climbing trees and walls just to be up in the air
-burning ants with a magnifying glass
-staring at the sky and just wondering
-and just acting silly and having fun whenever possible
Remember that these are just things that come to my mind and i learn new ones about me all the time. It doesn't matter if you were born a male or a female because being a boy is whatever you want it to mean to you. Most likely, you already know what it is that makes you a boy and just never realized it.
--
pup mohawk (marcus)
When I was about 11 my family lived in a 2 story house. There was a porch on the 2nd floor. Next to the house was a very large tree. It was one of those trees where the limbs were spaced just right for an 11 year old to climb. So every so often I climbed. One day, my Mom came out on the porch and looked up at me in the tree. I looked at her, a big-ass grin on my face, and she said, "Just don't fall."
Several years ago I was riding a sportbike on a race track, working hard, learning how to push myself and the bike. I sped up. I braked. I watched. I experimented. I got advice. And I rode the turns a little faster each time, hanging off the bike a little more each time. Until finally, in a hard left hand turn, me and the bike carried enough speed and we leaned enough so that my left knee dragged on the ground just like it was supposed to. My knee dragged for just a few seconds and then I straightened up out of the turn and screamed into my helmet with excitement. I wore a big-ass grin the rest of the day.
This, for me, is part of what it means to be a boy
peter
-building models
-playing video games on a weekend morning or afternoon or when you should be doing your homework
-jumping up and down on the bed at 7 AM on a Saturday to wake up your friend/partner
-getting excited to go to the toy store or any store that has things to play with
-snuggling with your favorite stuffed animal or toy
-wrapping yourself up in your favorite blanket your mom made for you to watch a movie
-not following orders because you forgot what they were 5 minutes ago because you were paying attention to
something else and you don't remember what that was when you are asked why you don't remember what it was
you were supposed to remember because something else distracted you
-making up silly statements like the one above just to confuse people because it's fun to see their reaction when they
read it, and giggling when they say, "What!?"
-wearing Scooby Doo or Spider-Man or Superman undies that are way too small for you, but enjoying every minute of
it
-wearing your undies on your head around the house
-would rather ride piggy-back than walk
-would rather ride on the front of the shopping cart than walk through the store
-hates facial hair on yourself (if you have any)
-asking, "How come?" when you don't get what you want and jumping up and down
-asking too many questions in the most inappropriate time
-asking those questions because you're curious about almost anything
-climbing trees and walls just to be up in the air
-burning ants with a magnifying glass
-staring at the sky and just wondering
-and just acting silly and having fun whenever possible
Remember that these are just things that come to my mind and i learn new ones about me all the time. It doesn't matter if you were born a male or a female because being a boy is whatever you want it to mean to you. Most likely, you already know what it is that makes you a boy and just never realized it.
--
pup mohawk (marcus)
When I was about 11 my family lived in a 2 story house. There was a porch on the 2nd floor. Next to the house was a very large tree. It was one of those trees where the limbs were spaced just right for an 11 year old to climb. So every so often I climbed. One day, my Mom came out on the porch and looked up at me in the tree. I looked at her, a big-ass grin on my face, and she said, "Just don't fall."
Several years ago I was riding a sportbike on a race track, working hard, learning how to push myself and the bike. I sped up. I braked. I watched. I experimented. I got advice. And I rode the turns a little faster each time, hanging off the bike a little more each time. Until finally, in a hard left hand turn, me and the bike carried enough speed and we leaned enough so that my left knee dragged on the ground just like it was supposed to. My knee dragged for just a few seconds and then I straightened up out of the turn and screamed into my helmet with excitement. I wore a big-ass grin the rest of the day.
This, for me, is part of what it means to be a boy
peter
To me, a boy is a person,
regardless of gender, with a younger spirit and playfulness who likes
to be helpful or of service to others.
When I think of boys, I think of the following:
-Robin, the boy Wonder
Robin has a strong, firm father figure who trains and guides him, while they both work to better society. Robin is an
Alpha boy, who, while having his own mentor, also guides other Teen Titans, as their leader. And who doesn't
want to wear skin tight rubber and leather body armor?!?!
-Peter Pan
Peter Pan is the eternally youthful spirit who is always on an adventure. Peter is also an Alpha boy, for, though his
relationship with his "Daddy" is pretty complicated, he leads and protects the Lost Boys. (No, not the vampires!
Though they ARE pretty hot. WOOF!)
-Puck a.k.a. Robin Goodfellow of "A Midsummer's Night Dream"
Puck is the prankster, who always enjoys a good joke and gets to have fun, even while being of service to his
"Daddy".
Alan
When I think of boys, I think of the following:
-Robin, the boy Wonder
Robin has a strong, firm father figure who trains and guides him, while they both work to better society. Robin is an
Alpha boy, who, while having his own mentor, also guides other Teen Titans, as their leader. And who doesn't
want to wear skin tight rubber and leather body armor?!?!
-Peter Pan
Peter Pan is the eternally youthful spirit who is always on an adventure. Peter is also an Alpha boy, for, though his
relationship with his "Daddy" is pretty complicated, he leads and protects the Lost Boys. (No, not the vampires!
Though they ARE pretty hot. WOOF!)
-Puck a.k.a. Robin Goodfellow of "A Midsummer's Night Dream"
Puck is the prankster, who always enjoys a good joke and gets to have fun, even while being of service to his
"Daddy".
Alan